When to visit Zambia is between May and October. From May to August, the landscape is green and the temperatures are slightly cooler. The period August to October is ideal for wildlife viewing.
Although Zambia is close to the equator, the high altitude makes the “semi-humid” subtropical climate seem cooler than it sounds. In most parts of the country, one therefore speaks of a subtropical climate and of Zambia as an “air-conditioned state”.
Temperatures
Maximum temperatures of up to 38°Celsius are reached exclusively in the south and southwest. Wherefore the average annual temperature on the high plateau is 21°C.
The river valleys will reach temperatures of up to 25°C.
July is the coldest month of the year nationwide (17.2 degrees Celsius) – October is the hottest with an average of 30 degrees Celsius. The wettest month is January and, in the north, close to the equator it does rain more than in the south.
Zambia’s Three Seasons
Zambia has three seasons and below you can find out what your best time to visit Zambia is:
‘Cool’ Season
The cool dry season (winter in Zambia) from May to September with temperatures between 15° and 27°C. In June and July, morning temperatures can drop to 10°C and night temperatures to 4°C. The country is very green due to the rain that falls now.
The cooler dry season in Zambia is suitable for game viewing, gathering around waterholes – with moderate temperatures during the European summer May to August. It is particularly cool and dry in Zambia during June and July.
Dry Season
The hot dry season is in October and November, with temperatures between 24° and 32°C.
However, temperatures are not the same in every season. For example, Zambia’s high plateaus are generally cooler than the lower-lying water regions such as rivers and lakes (e.g. Lake Kariba or the Kafue River). In the Luangwa Valley with the two national parks South and North, for example, daytime temperatures rise to over 40°C in the hot dry season (in the European early autumn of September and October). It gets hottest in Zambia in October.
Rainy Season
From December to April, the hot, humid rainy season with heavy tropical storms and average temperatures between 27° and 38°C prevails in the south – from October to April in the north. Sunny weather alternates with heavy rainfall.
The rainy season in Zambia is long and heavy, so that some national parks cannot be visited and lodges are closed (for example in the North Luangwa National Park). Zambia’s rainy season falls in the European winter/spring period from November to April, while the vast majority of rain falls in February. Unlike other countries, however, there is only one rainy season in Zambia.
